On Tuesday the Syracuse University alumni, Laura Foti came to visit our COM 117 class. Laura Foti graduated from the Newhouse School with a degree in public relations. She now works as a business technology analyst at Deloitte.
Foti talked a lot about her father and how he really inspired and encouraged her. As a child, her father and her would tell stories together. Her father really encouraged her to tell stories. Her father was originally a journalist, but later on he started working in the public relations field. Her father is physically disabled and this lead to both, Foti’s and her father’s interest in helping the healthcare system. When Foti was applying to college in high school her father encouraged her to go to Syracuse University.
After Foti graduated from high school, she went to Argentina for a year before going to Syracuse University. While she was there she blogged for her local hometown, which lead to her telling people she was a journalist. She wanted to share her experiences as an American girl in Argentina with locals, so she asked a local newspaper in Argentina if she could write stories for it. She wrote about her positive experiences for the newspaper in spanish. She discussed how writing in spanish was challenging, but it helped her learn a lot more about the language. She believes that its important to always share stories with others because it helps people connect with each other. After a year of being in Argentina, she began her journey at Syracuse University. Her freshman year she joined many clubs to get involved and figure out what she liked best. She was part of a few newspapers and public relations clubs. She also was given the opportunity to intern at GE, which she really enjoyed. During Foti’s senior year at Syracuse, she was offered a job at Deloitte. She was unsure of whether to take the job or not because one of her professors told her she should stick to public relations, which really made her question if she should take the job. She decided to take the job after a phone call with her grandfather, who gave her the advice to, “Do something that makes you feel uncomfortable because it helps you grow.” Foti discussed how taking risks helps a person grow and be happy. Her communications education is very helpful with her job at Deloitte because she is constantly using the skill of storytelling.
I really enjoyed Foti’s story because I found it very inspiring how hard she works and her willingness to take risks. Her advice to take risks really spoke to me and I think I will find this very helpful when I begin to apply for internships and jobs.